There are several clear advantages to using public speaking tasks in ELT.
I have highlighted three that I think are most noteworthy: practice with all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), development of critical thinking skills, and improved learning.
These three advantages accompany both presentation and debate tasks. Debate tasks require more planning and involvement than presentations but are well worth the effort. In preparing for a debate, students practice reading and note-taking skills, and construct written arguments. Debate preparation also requires extensive collaboration and cooperation among teammates as they collect information and develop ideas. Whether you choose to include student presentations or debates in your curriculum, your students will certainly reap the benefits of integrated skills practice, critical thinking practice, and improved learning. Students will gain confidence in speaking and will learn to express themselves .
A sample debate warm-up activity follows.
1. Write potential topics on strips of paper. The topics should be in line with your learning objectives. If you would like to use these debates to simply get students speaking, think of topics your students can have fun with (e.g., cats are better than dogs, or red is better than blue).
2. Number students off in pairs, so that each pairing has a first and second speaker.
3. Give each pair a strip of paper with a topic written on it.
4. Give the first speakers three minutes to tell their partners the reasons they support the topic on their paper. Then, give the second speakers three minutes to respond and provide arguments against the topic.
5. Finally, ask if any students were persuaded to change their minds based on their partners’ arguments.
